Healthcare Leadership: It’s Time to Focus on Solutions, Not Problems
Why Healthcare Leadership Needs to Focus on Solutions, Not Just Problems
In today’s healthcare landscape, challenges are plentiful, and it can be easy to focus on everything that isn’t working. But now, more than ever, it’s time for healthcare leaders and professionals to rise above the noise and shift their focus from problems to solutions. Drawing from a recent discussion on my YouTube channel, here’s why I believe healthcare leadership needs to embrace a solution-oriented mindset and foster an environment of creative thinking.
1. Don’t Just Highlight Problems—Bring Solutions to the Table Too often, meetings in healthcare turn into long discussions about everything that’s wrong. Someone might point out issues, obstacles, and limitations without ever offering solutions. While acknowledging challenges is important, it’s not enough to stop there. If you’ve got a seat at the table, your value comes not from listing problems but from bringing solutions forward.
It’s easy to be the naysayer—the person who finds fault with every idea. But that’s not leadership. True leadership means offering constructive ways to address the issues at hand. Sure, solutions might come with their own complications, but the goal should always be to figure out how to overcome those obstacles, not to stop at identifying them.
2. Foster a Culture of Creative Solutions Healthcare leaders need to create environments where their teams feel safe to propose ideas, even unconventional ones. It’s critical that people feel free to be vulnerable and share their thoughts without fear of judgment. This isn’t just about problem-solving—it’s about fostering creativity and innovation.
An example is integrative thinking, a concept I often discuss in my workshops and book Unapologetic Leadership. When faced with a complex issue like surgical wait times, rather than thinking in absolutes—“private” versus “public”—leaders should look at the strengths of both systems. The question should be: How can we integrate the best of both worlds?
If a private clinic is running efficiently, perhaps public dollars could help fund surgeries there. Or maybe we send our healthcare administrators or trainees to observe their processes and bring those lessons back to public hospitals. By thinking outside the box and avoiding rigid, black-and-white thinking, we open up a world of possibilities for improving healthcare delivery.
3. Leadership is About Asking for More As leaders, we must ask more from our teams. If someone presents an issue, the follow-up question should always be: What can we do about it? We can no longer afford to just point out the reasons why something won’t work. Instead, we need to challenge ourselves and our teams to come up with solutions that drive real change.
It’s also important to understand that every solution may come with its own set of challenges, perhaps impacting other departments or resources. However, the focus should always remain on how to move past those challenges, not on why the solution won’t work.
In this moment of healthcare crisis, we need leaders who bring more than just a list of problems to the table. We need leaders who are committed to creating solutions, fostering innovation, and encouraging others to think outside the box. By cultivating a culture of creativity, we can move beyond simply identifying obstacles and begin to shape the future of healthcare in meaningful ways.
So, if you’re a leader in healthcare, remember—it’s not enough to just be aware of the issues. It’s your job to bring solutions forward and inspire your team to do the same.
Call to Action: If you want to learn more about integrative thinking and creative leadership in healthcare, check out my YouTube channel here for more insights and strategies. Let’s work together to move the needle and create lasting change in healthcare!